Stone cutting machine



Jan. 22, 1957 P. s. cRoWl. 2,778,354

STONE CUTTING MACHINE Fild April 1, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 N. i im N www? rmP/vfr Jam 22, 1957 P. s. cRowl.

STONE CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 1`. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n w n www sa' 35 Y,

Fia'.

-INVENTOR. BY Pez/L 5. 'aomv Hroe/v'r Fia.

2,718,354 sroNn CUTTING raul si. etwa, enst-sms city, una. applicati@ April 1, 195s, serial No; 498,491 e Clarins. (ci. 12s-ss) This invention relates to improvements in machines or" the type used for cutting or breaking large slabs of building stone.

As it is well known in the art,- building stone isusually' transported in large slabs,- and isA then cuto'r brokenpto the desired size at or near thebuilding site.` The machines ordinarily used for cutting the stone utilize astationary and a movablerow of knives or chisels for engaging the opposite sides of the` stone along the line the stone is to be cut. inasmuch as the stonesusually have uneven surfaces,- each of the knives `must be individually. mov able to conform to the surface of thestone, At the present time, the most popular machines use a complicated wedging arrangement*forl actuatingth'e knives, and the wedges are either springloaded or hydraulically actuated. ln any event, the knife actuators are unduly complicated and the operation of the machines is impaired., Also, the knivesand wedgesusuaHy areeasily clogged by sand :and small pieces of stone becoming wedged therebetween. t n l fl'he present invention contemplates a novel stone cnt ting machineutilizing enclosed 4springf loaded ,earns tor operating each of the knives or chisels, independently. The present means of actuating the knives ishsimple in construction and will increase thespeed of stone cutting. The presentinvention also contemplates a novel system for lubricating the knives An important object of this invention increase the speed o''stonecuttin'g. Y A

Another* object yof this invention isto pros/idea comjpactly `constructed stone cutting machine, whereby the stone cutting operation will be facilitated.l

Another object o this invention is to provide .a stone cuttinghntachine utilizingl a novel 1ubri`cating. system.

A `further object of this invention'- is' to simplify Vthe construction of stone cutting maohines'.

Another object of this inventionis toprovide a,stone cutting machine, the knivesof\ 2vhicl1 wil l` not easily beL come clogged by sand and stone cuttings,

A stillu-rther object of this inventionis to provide a novel stone cutting machine h avingaalongservice life and which may be economically manufactured.

Otheriobjects and-` advantages of the invention will be evident `from the fol-lowingldetailed description,,read in conjunctionlwiththe accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention.

inthe drawings: M s

Figure l is another sectional vivi/ as" taken ling' lines 4-4 of Figure 3'.-

Figure` 5 is' an elevational view ef ofthe cani shown-inFigure .l

Figure 6 is a partial` top view of the low'er knife head, with the' knives removed .the oppsit side aired; States Patent 2,778,354 Patented Jan. 22, i957 Referring lto the drawings 'in detail, :and particularly Figures Yl aiid 2, reference character 8 generally designates iy novel vstone cutting machine having` a frame generally designated atY 10; The frame 10 comprises a pirbi pstandin'g legs 12 o'f-'s'ub'stantially channel-shaped cosfsseciih cbnrie'cted at their upper ends by a cross iii"l`ber 14. The cross member 14 is suitably braced by plates 16 and has downwardly extending side plates 18 for purposes as will be hereinafter s et forth. A sump or reservoir Stank 2b isseerd to the' lower ends of the legs 1210' collect the lubricating Oil as will be presently described. t i i l A supportplate 22' extends between and is secured to the" legs 12 above tHe surnp 20 for supporting a substantially horizontally extending' housing 24. The support plate 22 is rigidly secured to the legs l2 in any suit# ablelm'anner; such as by welding (not shown). The housing 24 (se Figure 3) has side plates 26 extending the leiigththereof and bolted (not shown) to the support plate 22", and ndrplates 28 secured to the opposite ends of the side plates 26.v A plurality of spacer plates 30 (see also Eigure's 4 and 6) are rigidly secured on the support plate 22 in equally spaced relation alongthe length of the housing 24.' v

The upper ends 32 ofthe spacers 30 are reduced in width to form upwardly. facingI shoulders 34 and to pro ject th'rongh'a sectional head, generally designated at 36. Each half section 38 of the head 36 is in the form of an elongated bar and .is securedl on the shoulders 34 on the adjace'ntsides oiithespacers 3l) along the length of the housing 24. Asshownin Figure 6, the inner sides of the headsections 3 8 arclincontacting relation with the ope posite ,sides1of. the spacer porti0ns32 to form aplurality of vertical slots or chambers 40 for receiving the knives 42 (Figures 3 and 4) ras vvill be hereinafter set forth. In addition, eachhead: section Sl (seeFigure 3) has a 1on gitudinal gro1ove ,tl2 formedinithe outer side thereof throughoutthe lengthoithe head36, and small passagej Ways 44,providecommunication between each groove 42 and eachchamber 40.

A substantiallyrectangular bar 46 is removably secured bv bolts .or the. liketnt-.Shwnl to 4the upper innr` ,edge of eachside plate 2 6 andjs of suiiicient length to contact the housingendj plates 28 `at its oppo'site ends. Each bar 46" extends Vinwardly,into Contact with the lower outer edge ofthe adjacentgheadsectijon 38 and is preferably welded to the section 38 and spacer shoulders 34. In ad dition,geach bar 456 is slanted transversely to support abaflle plate 48 oneachA side of the head 36 for deflecting cut stone from the housing 24 as will be more fully hereinafter. settorth, v

A s'willy bepbservedin Figure 3 thek inner edge of each. baie'platea abuts the outer side of the respective head section 38 to cooperate withthe inner side of the respectivebar Al, and groove 42. in forming a lubricating passageway 50at each s ide of the head36. Each passageway 5tl (see, Figuresl and 2) communicates with a lubricant supplyconduit 5 2 suitably securedv in one end plate 28 (the-rightend of the housing 24 as viewed in Eiglreg1) fl`he conduits 52 in turn communicate (not shown)v with; the 4vdischarge 5 t ;ot a pump 56 suitably secured ongthe sump 2t?. The pump 56 is preferably of the centrifugal type and isdriven by a suitable motor (not shown) tofprovide a continuous supply of lubricant uwnder pressureiromthe sump 2Q through the conduits 54 .and 52`tothe passageways 50 for purposes as will be hereinafter set forth; n

AA shaftSSl-F-gurezl') extends ylongitudinally through the central portion of the-*housing Zliand. isfjournaled tnt;shown).,.in thecnd-.plates' 28..,.Qne vend; 60 of the shaft- Stextends into the adjacent frame leg 12 and has a' bell' crank 62 secured thereon. Thebell crank 62 is cured to the outer end of the bell crank`62.

arrasar turned by a hydraulic unit generally indicated at 64 and comprising a hydraulic cylinder 66 having a pistou (not shown) reciprocally disposed therein, with a piston rod 65 extending from the piston'through one end of the cylinder 66. The opposite end of the cylinder 66 is pivotally secured in the respective leg 12 by a bracket 74), and the outer end of the piston rod 68 is pivotally se- Hydraulic fluid is alternately supplied to the opposite ends of the cylinder 66 through conduits 72 to reciprocate the piston and piston rod 68 and turn the bell crank 62 Aand shaft 58, The conduits 72 communicate with the discharge 74 of another pump 76 through suitable conduits and valving (not shown), whereby the hydraulic unit 64 may be controlled by the operator when and as desired. The pump '76 is preferably of the positive displacement type and may be mounted in any desired location, such as on the sump 20 as shown. Also, of course, the pump 76 is driven by a suitable power unit (not shown).

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the shaft 58 extends through aligned apertures 7S in the spacers 30 to support a pair of cams 80 between each pair of spacers. The cams 8) are loosely mounted on the shaft 58, and each cam has a counterbore 82 formed in each end face thereof concentrically around the shaft 58. A turning ring 84 is slidingly disposed in one of the counterbores 82 of each cam Si? and has an inwardly extending key 86 formed on the inner periphery thereof extending into a complementary key-way or groove S8 formed in the outer periphery of the shaft S3. Therefore, the turning rings S4 will turn with the shaft SS, whereas the cams S will float on the shaft S. Each turning ring 84 also has a radially extending projection 90 formed on the outer periphery thereof arranged to contact a mating projection 92 formed in the counterbore 82 of the respective cam 80 for returning the cams to inoperative or zero positions as will be presently described. v

The opposite counterbore 82 ofeach cam 80 receives a spiral spring 94 as shown most clearly in Figure 5. The inner end 96 of each spring 94 is anchored in the shaft groove 88; whereas the outer end 98 is anchored in a groove 101i formed in the respective counterbore S2 of the respective cam Si). 1t will thus be apparent that upon l turning ofthe shaft 58, the springs 94 will urge the cam 80 in the same direction, yet the cams may be held in a fixed rotative position during turning of the shaft 58 against the action of the springs. It is to be understood that each of the cams 8i) is operated independent of every other cam, and that each cam is in sliding contact with an adjacent cam on one end and a spacer 30 on the other end. The end faces of each cam 80 are preferably machined smooth to reduce friction between each pair of cams and the spacers 3G. y

The outer periphery of each cam 80 has a transversely facing shoulder 162 formed thereon to contact the shank 104 of its respective knife 42 and zero position the cam 80 as will be more fully hereinafter set forth. The outer radius of each cam Sil is progressively increased from the lower end of the shoulder 102 through approximately one-half of the periphery of the cam until the increasing radius equals the radius at the outer endof the shoulder 102. Therefore, one-half 106 of the outer surface of each cam 8@ varies in curvature to provide a cammed surface, while the remaining surface ltlis of uniform curvature. Some portion of the surface 10S of each cam 80 is always in sliding contact with a pressure block 11i) rigidly secured on the bottom plate 22 of the housing 24. A block 110 extends between each pair of spacers 30 as shown in Figure 4 and has an upper curved surface 112 (Figure 3) formed on the same radius as the surfaces 10S of the adjacent cams Sil to receive the pressure on the knives 42 as will be hereinafter set forth.

As previously indicated, the knives 42 are disposed in the slots or chambers of the head 36. The Shanks 104 of the knives 42 are of a size to provide a sliding t 4 of two shanks in each chamber 40, whereby each knife is operated independently by one of the cams 30. The upper end or head portion 114 of each knife 42 is pyramidally shaped in cross-section to form 'a cutting edge 116 and provide .outwardly extending flanges 118 over-hanging the head 36 at the opposite sides of the chamber 4). One end 12b of each knife head 114 is also extended to over-hang one-half of the adjacent spacer 30 and make contact with the knife 42 on the opposite side of the spacer as illustrated in Figure 4. Therefore, the knife heads 114 effectively cover the chambers 40 to prevent stone cuttings from entering the housing 24. It should also be noted that the shank 104 of each knife 4Z is of :a length to contact the respective cam 30 and retain the respective head 114 aboveY the head 36 and spacers 30 in all positions of the cam. 80. Therefore, the forces imposed on the knives 42 will be transmitted through the cams Si) and pressure blocks-110,y rather than through the head 36. Furthermore, fin Figure 2 it will be observed that the knives 42 are held in alignment in the head 36to align the cutting edges 116. v

A pair of guides 122 (Figures l and 2) are slidingly secured onvthe frame legs'12 to support -a second knife housing 124 above the housing 24. The guides 122 engage (not shown) the legs 12 in the usual manner to prevent tilting of the guides and to retain the housing 124 parallel to the housing 24as the housing 124 is moved up and down. A rotatable shaft 126 extends longitudinally through the housing 124 into the leg 12 above the hydraulic unit 64 and has a `bellcrank 128 on the outer end thereof. Another hydraulic unit (not shown) is secured in the respectivev leg 12 above the unit 64 and is powered from the ptunp` 76, inthe same manner as the unit 64.

The upper housing 124 has a head 1:30 secured in Athe lower end thereof to slidingly'receive a row of knives 132 in alignment with the lower row ofl knives 42. The knives 132 may be constructed in substantially the same manner las the knives 42, however, 'the upper knives 132 should be keyed to the head I130 in a suitable manner (not shown) to permit vertical sliding of the knives 132 but prevent them fromfalling out of the head 130. Also, the head 130 and housing 124 may be constructed in the same manner as vlthe lower head 36 and housing 24, except that the upper head 130 does not require pressure lubricating passageways 50 therein Ias shown in Figure 3 for the lower head 36. The upper knives 132 are preferably 'actuated by cams' (not shown) on the shaft 126 in the same manner as theactuation of the lower knives 42.

The upper housing 124 is raised and lowered Iby a pair of hydraulic jack units generally indicated at 134. Each unit 134 comprises -a cylinder 136 suitably secured in a vertical position -to the upper frame member 14 and has a piston 138 reciprocally disposed therein. A piston rod 140 extends downwardly from each piston l138 through the lower end of the respective cylinder 136 and has 'a cross-head 142 on the lower end thereof. An aperture (not shown) extends vertically through each end of each cross-head 142 to loosely receive va bolt 144 extending upwardly from a buffer block 14S secured on the upper end of the housing 124. A helical compression spring 146 is disposed on each bolt 144 in contact with the bolt head and the cross-head 142 ytending to retainthe buffer block in contact with the crossheads 142, yet permit limited separate movements of the housing 124 and cross-heads 142.

Each cylinder 136 has a uid conduit 148 providing communication between each end thereof and the pump 76 through suitable valving (not shown), whereby hydraulic fluids 'can be introduced into either end of the hydraulic units134 for raising and lowering the housing 124. The valves for controlling the ow of fluid to the hydraulic units 134 are preferably ofthe type by which spagaat The stone slab i150 to vbe cut is''suppi1-'ted on a horizorital roller conveyor y15'2 atfarhiig'ht wher 'l 'e stone can Ybe pushed on top of lthe 'lower knives '42 when the knives v42 are in their Vlovv'eiinost positions. `The LctinL veyorf152 may be coiivenient'ly'siippoted atoneeidby .legs `i154 amending inps/rely 'from ifheft 15am@ pute 48 Vand atthe `opposite end by legs J(1)56 eli't'e'hding'on'down to the floor or ground 1'58. l u. .l y p lPrior to cutting V'orbreaking the slab'llSl), the 'l'ydlauli-c units '134 are actuated vto raise the housingtl'o the position shown in A)Figures `1 land 2 aiid the hydraulic unit 64 is actuated yto retract the knives 42 in the position `illustrated in Figure 3. v'I'he upper shaft 126 is placed riny a rotativejp'osition similar ,to -:the lower shaft 5S, whereby the upper knives be hangingbelow their operating cams. The slabn`0 is their pushed over the knives 42 the desired distance, and the hydraulic units 134 are again actuated to lower thewhousing :124 until the upper knives 132 contact the upper surface of the slab 15G. x *A I -It Will be bserved that the upper and lower 'sur-fades ofthe slab 150 are uneven or roug'h, as fis the usalfcas'e. Therefore, only a Vportion yof the knives 42 :will in contact with the slab. Some of the knives 42 will be disposed kopposite indentations fin the slab `150 and will not make contact with -the stone. Therefore, as soon as the housing 124 is in operatingV position as described above, the hydraulic unit '64 is actuated to turn Ithe `shaft 58 clockwise as shown in Figure 3, or counterclockwise as shown in Figure 5. Simultaneously, each spring 94 urges its respective cam 80 in the same direction to move the lrespective cam surface 106 under the respective knife 42. The cams y80 turn and force the knives 42 upwardly until the -cutting edge 116 of each knife makes Contact with the slab 150. As previously noted, each knife 42 is 'actuated separately, whereby it can move the necessary distance for contacting the stone. A continued turning of the shaft 58 merely winds each spring 94 after its respective knife 42 contacts the stone. The stroke of the hydraulic unit 64 is predetermined to turn the shaft rSii slightly less th-an one hundred eighty the ow of fluid can be varied, wherebyythe Aspeed of degrees, to assure complete operation of each cam 80.'

The knives 42 `opposite the slab 150 will then all be in contact with the stone fand will contact the. stone along a straight line.

The upper knives 132 are actuated in the `same manner to force each knife 132 into contact with the slab 150 at its lower end and in contact with its respective cam at its upper end. It will 4then be apparent that the knives 42 and 132 will be lin Contact with the slab 150 in the same vertical plane. The hydraulic units 134 are then again actuated to force the housing 124 down Iand provide a lquick compressive force of the knives 42 and 132 on the slab 150. The stone will then break along -the vertical plane containing the cutting edges of the knives 42 and 132. As the stone is broken or cut, Ithe portion 160 that is cut off falls -down on the -rear bafe pl-ate 48 and slides down the -bafie into Ia suitable receptacle (not shown). any desired length.

Upon completion of the cutting operation, the hydraulic units 134 are actuated in the opposite direction to again raise the housing 124 into the position shown in Figures l and 2. Whereupon, the knives 42 and 132 are retracted, and the machine 8 is ready for another cutting operation. in retracting the knives 42, the hydraulic unit 64 is actuated to turn the shaft S8 counter-clockwise as shown in Figure 3, or clockwise as shown in Figure 5. As the projection 90 of each turning ring 84 moves through its respective counterbore 82, it will contact the respective cam projection 92. The respective cam The rear bathe 48 may be of willmthen turn with thiering 'I' the shoulder 102`con`t`acts the respective knife shank 10 M A V` spective knife shank 10 4 will movefdA Ul y i the camlsurface lfha'nd d throughuthe head 35 by gravity'until itreachesjthe,position-'shown,in Figures 3 and 4; Thus, all of .the -knives 427will Ibe retracted. .L y The ca` s forpthe upper ici-lives1,321A willfbeumoved t9 their. ma Ptitions. .iii the.. sans ...manner t0 .free the knives 132. l They y'knivesh132 will ,their again hang from the upper head `130' andI be free lto moyepup into the .head 11310 1113941.; ,aantast .with the ,StdnasiaalSD--,

Aslpreviously mentioned, the pump (Figlire-1)x continuously supplies lubricant under pressurethdr'ougli the discharge 54 and cofndui-tsA tomthe, passagewaysgi) (Figure 3) in the lower head Thelubricantlis forged through the smaller passagewaysfl into each chamber 4u to lubricate the knives 432. The; lubricant,

der pressure, also prevents the accumulation ofsandplf stone cuttings between the knives and head36l, and drips downwardly onto they cams :B0 .to ll'libricate the cams and shaft 58. Any lubricantdripping'frorn the cams 810 collects in the bottom uof the housing 24 and is discharged throughk spacd ,drain'apertures.23 in 'the ,bottom plate 22 into the suinp 2d. for recircla't'ion bythe pump $6. i n l \The, upper knives 132 andhead 150, bein'gabovefthe stonellt), will not tend to become. clogged with sand or cuttings, as will the 'lower hevaycflwk36 and knives 42. Therefore, theupper head `ordinarily,does not re- Aquire forced lubrication asin the lower head 36;and ymay be suitably lubricated .periiodicallygzvby ,spraying lubricantl'o'n the Shanks of theknivest and their `actuating cams. It should also be observed 'that the actuating mechanisms for each row of knives is totally enclosed and compactly constructed to provide no interference for workmen operating the machine 8.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a novel stone cutting machine which will materially increase the speed of stone cutting. The cutting knives or chisels are independently operated to contact the opposite sides of the stone in` a common plane to provide a clean and straight cut. Each set of knives is operated by a single hydraulic unit and the entire, machine is compactly constructed. A nominal amount of wear will occur and the knives will not become clogged with sand or cuttings. The machine is simple in construction and may be economically manufactured.

Changes may be made in the combination. and arrangement of parts as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in the drawings, it being understood that any modificationin the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: I

1. A stone cutting machine, comprising a frame, a pair of heads on said frame, one of said heads being movable on said frame toward and away from the other head, a row of knives slidably carried by each of said heads, said rows being arranged in opposed relation for cutting a stone positioned therebetween, a shaft rotatably carried by each of said heads, cam means on said shafts for engaging said knives and moving said knives independently into contact withr the adjacentl surface of the stone upon rotation of said shafts, and a power system for moving said one head and rotating said shafts.

2. In a stone` cuttingmachine, an elongated supporting head having slots extending transversely therethrough, a plurality of stone cutting knives having heads and Shanks, said Shanks being slidably positioned in said slots to align said knifev heads along said supporting head, a `shaft rotatably carried by said supporting head adjacent the ends of said` Shanks, cams on said shaft arranged to Contact said shanks and move said knives independently y '7 in said slotsv upon rotation of said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft.

3. In a stone cutting machine, a frame, an elongated head secured on saidy frame in a substantially horizontal position, a row of vertically extending knives siidably lcarried by said head, said knives having upper ends and lower ends with said upper ends being pointed to cut the stone, a shaft rotatably carried by said head in proximity with the lower ends of said knives, a plurality of spring-loaded cams on said shaft, there being a cam arranged below each of saidknives for contacting and raising each of said knives into contact with the stone independently of the other knives upon rotation of said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft.

4. In a stone cutting machine, a frame, an elongated head secured on said frame in a substantially horizontal position, a row of vertically disposed knives slidably carried by said head, said knives having upper ends and lower ends with said Vupper ends being pointed to cut the stone, a cam rotatably carried by said head below each of said knives for contacting the lower ends of said knives and raising said knives into contact with the stone, and means for rotating said cams independently for raising said knives independently.

5. In a stone cutting machine, a frame, an elongated head secured on said frame in a substantially horizontal position, a row of vertically disposed knives slidably carried by said head, said knives having upper ends and lower ends with said upper ends being pointed to cut the stone, a shaft rotatably carried by said head below and in alignment with the lower ends of said knives, a separate cam rotatably disposed on said shaft below each of said knives in contacting relation with the lower end of the respective knife, springs connecting each of said cams to said shaft for turning said cams and raising said knives independently upon rotation of said shaft in one direction, and means for rotating said shaft.

6. In a stone cutting machine, a frame, an elongated head secured on said frame in a substantially horizontal position, a row of vertically disposed knives slidably carried by said head, said knives having upper ends and lower ends with said upperends being pointed to cut the stone, a shaft rotatably carried by said head below and in alignment with the lower ends of said knives, a separate cam rotatably disposed on said shaft below each of said knives in contacting relation with the lower end of the respective knife, springs lconnecting each of said cams to said shaft for turning said cams and raising saidv .knives independently uponv rotation of said shaft in one direction, a key on saidv shaft adjacent each of said carns arranged to positively engage and rotate said cams upon rotation of said shaft in the opposite direction for lowering said knives, and means for rotating said shaft.

References Cited in the 'le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,152,193 Johanning Mar. 28, 1939 2,188,318 Siderits Ian. 30, 1940 2,453,216 Graham et al. Nov. 9, 1948 2,552,958 VGraham et al. May 15, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 666,886 France May 28, 1929 691,527 Germany May 29, 1940 

